Dead Man Down promotional video shows what everyday people would do when witnessing a murder

The upcoming revenge pic DEAD MAN DOWN, starring Colin Farrell, Noomi Rapace, and and Terrance Howard is set to hit theaters later this week and in a very unique promotional twist, brought in the folks at Thinkmodo to stage an "attempted murder" inside an elevator to record the reactions of everyday people who witness it, ultimately asking,"What would you do if you walked into a murder in progress?"

Well, the usual reactions are all here, including the initial shock, but then follow in succession of various follow-up reactions, namely running or fighting (i.e. fight or flight). While some people just scream and dart off, others jump right in to stop the "murderer," with others getting a big more creative, from draggin the "victim" away or hosing down the "murderer" with a fire extinguisher. The biggest lesson? Don't be the douche who just stands there and takes video with his phone.

What would you do?

This is some clever and fun marketing, which attempts to expand on the themes of a film, rather than providing the usual fluff we've grown accustomed to. I'm not saying we need to stage blowing up a city block to see how people would react to an alien invasion from THE AVENGERS, but some more clever ideas are always welcome.

I'm very interested in catching DEAD MAN DOWN, the English language debut from THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (Swedish version) helmer, Niels Arden Oplev. I love a good revenge tale and it looks to have some refined action sequences. And, Noomi Rapace. Here's to hoping.

This experiment is absolutely fascinating. However, I have two potentially stupid questions. And perhaps, both questions have good answers that dismiss my concerns. I am a little unsure that the video is completely authentic, not staged. For one thing, how many people would agree to have their faces shown after not helping? On hidden camera shows, generally, anyone filmed needs to give permission after filming to use his/her image. Another question is this. What happens to your ersatz murderer

This experiment is absolutely fascinating. However, I have two potentially stupid questions. And perhaps, both questions have good answers that dismiss my concerns. I am a little unsure that the video is completely authentic, not staged. For one thing, how many people would agree to have their faces shown after not helping? On hidden camera shows, generally, anyone filmed needs to give permission after filming to use his/her image. Another question is this. What happens to your ersatz murderer if someone really goes off. What happens if a Good Samaritan pulls a gun or uses his hands and feet as lethal weapons in reaction to an apparently life-and-death situation? Would anyone put their actor at risk like that? Would the promo maker not be concerned about ethics and a lawsuit later? I tend to get involved (foolishly or nobly) in stopping fights, sexual assaults, and domestic violence when I have witnessed them over the years. However, granted, I can usually just growl "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" and the incident stops. But, foolishly or nobly, I am willing to resort to violence and--in one case of repeated child abuse--I did. So, what happens if someone like me witnesses the elevator scenario. I am just a nerd. What happens if a "real man" sees this action?

Hopefully, this video is not staged simply to promote the film Dead Man Down. The video has the same appeal as ABC's What Would You Do? We all want to see who is around us and what is their nature in tough situations. We have an essential curiosity about human nature, and this experiment could help answer our curiosity a bit if the experiment is real.